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An entrepreneur has come up with a solution to the age-old problem of where to store valuables at the beach while enjoying a day-time snooze.

Marcal DaCunha, 29, has invented a locker that can screw into the sand and hold personal items such as purses, mobile phones, small tablets and money.

It is closed by a special waterproof lid to stop any liquid seeping inside, and then covered by a towel and pillowcase.

Handy gadget: Where to store your valuables on the beach is an age-old problem

Whenever a sun-seeker is lying on the towel to relax, the 12ins deep and 6ins wide container is completely concealed.

Passing thieves would then have no opportunity to steal any of the valuables if a user fell asleep because they would be on top of the locker, known as the Beach Vault.

Although the contraption could be picked up and stolen if it was left unattended, Marcal believes it is less likely to happen than by leaving belongings out in the open.

The Beach Vault comes with a special towel that has a hole cut away for easy access, which is covered by an attached, inflatable pillow.

Hidden treasure: Lying on the towel over the beach vault means your valuables will be safe

Safety in the sand: The 12 inch deep and 6 inch wide container is completely concealed

Marcal DaCunha, 29, a church pastor from New Jersey in the USA, said: 'The whole thing started when my wife, Krystal, and I were travelling back from the beach.

'She said "What if we had a container you could put underneath your towel that could hide all of your stuff?"

'The idea was that if you were lying on the towel and you fell asleep you wouldn't have to worry about watching your stuff or trying to keep hold of it while closing your eyes.

'We spoke about it and spent a while making prototypes and coming up with ideas and we have now worked with engineers to come up with the Beach Vault.

Church pastor Marcal DaCunha, right, invented the Beach Vault, shown as an X-ray image, left

'The Beach Vault screws into the sand and has a screw-top lid which has been built with a rubber O ring to make it waterproof.

'It is perfect for holding purses, wallets, phones, money, keys, and even has space for a book or an iPad Mini.

'The idea is you then place the towel over the top of it, which has a hole in it so you can access the container, but covered by a built-in pillow.

'This means that when you are lying down you are directly on top of your stuff and you don't have to worry about someone taking anything.

Practical: Your valuables will be safe hidden under your towel in the Beach Vault

Safety first: Items such as mobile phones and tablets can be hidden away when you go for a quick doze

Secure: The Beach Vault is closed by a special waterproof lid to stop any liquid seeping inside

'If you were to leave your stuff unattended the Beach Vault would remain completely out of sight.

'There is nothing to stop a thief from picking the whole thing up and leaving if they knew where it was, but this is the same risk as using a handbag.'

Marcal is raising money on a crowdfunding website to go towards the manufacturing of the Beach Vault.

He expects it will retail for around 18 pounds.